


Big Brother Torchwick

by SilverScaler3000



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol, Anger, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkwardness, Clubbing, Confessions, Crimes & Criminals, F/M, Family, Feels, Fluff, Happy Ending, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I need help thinking of better tags, Jealousy, Kissing, M/M, Oblivious Torchiwck, One Shot, Pining, Protectiveness, Reveal, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Swearing, Threats of Violence, minor smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-07-20 10:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16135301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverScaler3000/pseuds/SilverScaler3000
Summary: Roman finds out Neo has been seeing Perry, and he is... not happy.To say the least.'Pissed' is more accurate.





	Big Brother Torchwick

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> So I've been working on this fic for almost a year, and to be honest I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it. All the same, I really hope you enjoy.
> 
> (publish September 30th, 2018. Edited March 19th, 2019)

****No matter the Kingdom a person traveled too, no matter which city held the highest levels of crime, no club attracted criminals quite like Junior’s did.

It rested comfortably in one of the shadier corners of Vale, as far away from the Huntsman Academy, Beacon, as it possibly could without leaving the city limits entirely. Nearly every criminal found their way there eventually; it was the safest place for them in the city. It sat between scores of - at least as far as anyone who wanted to keep their lives was concerned - abandoned warehouses, safe from the prying eyes of the law and far enough from public housing to not have to worry about blasting the music as loud as the presiding DJ wanted to. Not that anyone would dare complain if they did live close enough to hear it, mind you, but it was considered a plus all the same.

Tonight, a particularly dangerous criminal resided in the club. He sat on a stool next to the bar counter, his cane resting comfortably next to his legs. They stared dimly at the Martini he’d been nursing for the past hour, feeling absolutely livid. They were reluctant to finish it knowing it was the only drink that they could afford to let themselves have tonight, so he sipped it slowly, savoring it as he ignored the occasional whispered 'don't go near that man, that's _Roman Torchwick_.'

He smirked. They should stay the fuck away from him. He was in a bad mood. 

Normally whenever he took the time to visit here he didn't limit himself to just one drink, but this evening was different. As the head Crime Lord of Vale of course he always had to stay on his toes; the police, Hunters and Huntresses, and - more so recently - Beacon’s brats made sure of that. It was never truly safe for him to let himself get drunk. Heck, he couldn't even go to sleep without at least one eye cracked open. But Junior’s club was the one place he could let himself go, if only for a little while. He came here often, both to hire help for his more elaborate heists and to get intel from Junior, who had eyes and ears in every corner of Vale. Here, he could temporarily forget the fact he was stuck working for some slimy bitch that could  _literally_ burn his criminal empire to the ground.

Tonight though, he just couldn't afford that luxury.

Looking up from his drink Roman turned his gaze lazily to the dance floor, watching drunk clubbers making fools of themselves on the sporadic, color changing tiles. Faunus and Humans alike were getting tangled together in the mess of bodies. It was entertaining to watch when some of them became truly crazy, and, honestly, it almost made Roman feel glad he wasn’t as wasted as those people. Almost.

He eyed the sheer number of people in the club disdainfully. They were crowding the booths and the bar he was sitting at, and it made him uneasy. There were too many people to watch carefully at once, and the noise was threatening to give him a migraine. The place was packed, closer to its maximum capacity than Roman had seen in years. He even recognized some of the bigger names in Vale’s criminal industry, ones that didn’t normally dare show their faces on _his_ _turf_. Tonight was clearly an exception though, and Roman couldn’t pretend he didn’t understand why they were all here.

In order to celebrate the fact that Red’s sister, Blondie, hadn’t wrecked the place in over three months, the drinks were half off.

Roman had entered the club confidently, watching those who knew of him either move quickly out of his way or nod their heads respectfully. The twins had mostly ignored him, save for the customary sly looks they always sent him and Junior’s way. He never quite understood why they did that, but it creeped the absolute shitout of him. They had mostly ignored him since he had sat down, however, their focus shifting to all the people coming into the building. The club had filled up fast, and now, surrounded by potential enemies, Roman was even more on edge than he had been to begin with, when he had first walked in. 

The criminal grumbled angrily under his breathe. It annoyed him how the people surrounding him were ripping off their soberness like a bandage, and that he was the only one not falling on his  _not so_ drunken tail. He sighed, wishing he could take the risk and get more buzzed than this, but that just wasn’t happening tonight. Hells knew he could use it, but if he showed up hungover at Cinder’s meeting tomorrow she’d have his head. Torchwick frowned, remembering how the last time it happened he had almost gotten burnt to a crisp by the bitch.

 _Nope, not repeating that again,_  he thought, taking another sip from his drink before setting the glass back down, frowning. **_Ever_**.

“Hey Roman, why the long face?” a voice asked from behind the bar, interrupting Roman’s thoughts.

The criminal turned his head slightly, groaning inwardly as he looked at Junior, taking in the bearded man’s cocked eyebrow and amused expression in one glance. The man was behind the bar washing glasses as per usual, leaving it to his boys and the twins to handle the other customers as he looked at Torchwick expectantly. He obviously wanted to strike up a conversation, but Roman didn’t really feel like chatting tonight. He frowned at Junior, trying to get him to see he wasn’t in the mood to talk.

Junior ignored his foul expression and set the glass down on the counter. He leaned forward, grinning at the ginger-haired criminal. “Normally you’re happy when the drinks are cheaper,” he clarified. “What’s up?”

Roman turned so he was facing Junior and sighed dramatically. Hei was his friend, and rotten mood aside he could at least talk to him. “Can’t risk getting myself wasted,” he stated stiffly, his finger trailing the top of his glass. “Cinder would kill me if I showed up at the meeting tomorrow less than sober. The last time that happened, I had my ass handed to me in that bitch’s furnace. It’s  _unfair_ ,” he whined.

Junior chuckled, and Roman glowered at him. “Glad I’m amusing you,” he muttered, his voice drier than Junior’s fanciest wines.

“Oh, immensely,” the bartender said, shaking his head fondly as he resumed washing the glass.  

“In that case,” Roman said, downing his drink, barely feeling any burn as it slid down his throat. “ _I’m out._ ”

Roman was too busy self-loathing to notice just how upset that made the bartender, who was frantically trying to think of a way to make the criminal stay. “Ah come on Roman,” he pleaded, “You know I was only joking-”

“ _Yeah_ , sorry Junior, but I just don’t feel like being like anyone else’s court jester. I already have Cinder for that. Besides, I need a smoke and you won’t let me do that in here,” he said, purposefully ignoring the smoke coming from cigarettes a few teens had sneaked in.

“True, but-”

“Like I said,” Roman said as he straightened his coat and stood up. “I’m out.”

Junior bit back a sigh. “Safe travels then.”

“No promises,” Roman said, smirking playfully. Grabbing his cane, Roman tipped his hat towards Junior and started heading for the door.

Maybe he was being a bit abrupt, but he could honestly care less right now. He had to dance for people like Cinder Fall constantly nowadays, and despite the rashness of his decision to leave early, he was sticking to it. There was no point in staying, after all, if he couldn’t drink his worries away. Sure Junior made good conversation, but tonight he wasn’t really looking for that. And even if Roman was, normally Neo was the better person to talk to. Lately, though, she had been disappearing more and more often, making him wonder what she was up to.

Upping his pace, Roman practically charged for the door. There were too many people, however, and Roman discovered rather quickly that exciting the building was a challenge in itself. Club patrons crowded in at all sides and pressed close to him, making the criminal finger his cane angrily as the smell of sweaty people and the blasting of obnoxious music overwhelmed his senses. Sighing in exasperation, he firmly told himself not to get trigger happy, or else risk having Junior ban him for life.

Glancing to his left, Roman stared at the back exit. It was normally for emergencies, like when the cops - or Dust forbid  _Blondie -_ showed up, but it would do in a pinch. He pushed forward, not caring who he bumped into. He wanted out, and if anyone got in his way, Junior’s anger be damned, Roman would probably kill them. Just as he was about to open the door, however, Junior jumped in front of him, effectively blocking his path with his large frame.

“Woah woah woah! Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

Roman jumped back in surprise. “Junior, what the fu-”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since forever,” Junior continued, stepping forward and trying to steer Roman away from the exit. “Come on, have another drink with me. Catch me up to speed with all your latest heists.”

“Junior,” Roman said carefully, wary of how odd his friend was behaving. “I need to get going. Let me outside,” he said, quickly side-stepping around his friend before he could draw him farther away from the door.

“You can’t go outside!” Junior shouted.

Roman paused, turning around and facing Junior, who looked as if he wished he hadn’t said that. “Why not?” he asked, crossing his arms and glaring suspiciously at him.

“Because of,” Junior paused, and Roman gestured impatiently for him to keep going.

“ _Yes?_ ”

“The reason?” Junior finished lamely.

Ignoring his protests Roman turned around and opened the door. “Come on Hei, what could possibly be so ba-” he stopped talking abruptly, frozen in place as he gaped at the scene before him. Junior muttered a curse under his breath, pleading one last time for Roman to just come back into the club.

Roman didn't even hear him, and his jaw dropped as he stared aghast at the couple in front of him, their bodies pressed tightly together against the alley wall as they kissed. One of them was a man, a brown haired dog Faunus. He had the much smaller, pink, brown and white-haired woman pressed roughly against the bricks, biting her neck as she moaned silently. It was clear neither of them had noticed the back door opening or their two-person audience. After a few more moments of stunned silence, Roman could feel the scales of his emotions tipping, going from complete shock to enraged, and he finally found it in himself to choke out a single name.

“ _Neo!?_ ”

Immediately the two tore apart from one another. Neo fell uncharacteristically gracelessly onto the ground, opening her mouth in a silent ‘ouch’ as she connected with the pavement. Looking up she stared in horror at Roman, somehow looking tinier than usual in her vulnerable position. As for the Faunes that had been holding her moments before, they whipped around, dog ears smacking them in the face as he squinted at Torchwick.

Deer suddenly caught in bright headlights wasn’t quite how Roman would describe the expression on their faces. No, it was more like deer caught in an awkward sex tape scandal. _By their parents._

Honestly Roman might’ve been laughing if he wasn’t so pissed off.

The man’s hand fumbled in his pocket, and after a few seconds of frantic searching he pulled out a pair of glasses. As he put them to his face, he went completely white, staring in horror at the angry, orange-haired criminal seething in front of him. “Oh, shit…”

Roman recognized the Faunes now, a Grunt from the White Fang named Perry. They had known each other, once upon a time, before they had gotten mixed up in all this Maiden and destroying Beacon Academy crap. Back then, they were just another bunch of scruffy teens living off the streets of Vale; him, Neo, Perry and a few others. They had all grown apart soon after Roman first started planning some of his more elaborate heists; Neo being the only one to stick with him. Besides watching one another's backs, there had been nothing to their relationship with Perry, so neither he nor Neo had felt any remorse at the time when they parted ways with the Faunus. But when Cinder first got him and Neo mixed up with the White Fang, however, they became reacquainted. Perry had been working closely with him and Neo for a while now, but Roman never thought it was that  _close_.

Just how the hells did this happen?

Neo began to sign something, but Roman held a hand up to silence her. “How. Long?” he asked, his voice sharp enough to cut through raw dust crystals.

Perry ran a hand across the top of his head to smooth his hair and his dog ears, looking sheepish. “A month and a half,” he mumbled, avoiding Roman’s eyes.

Good. He  _should_ be scared. Roman was about to cut off his ears and roast them on a spit. But first…

“ _Junior_ ,” he said, knowing the man was probably trying to sneak back into the club. Roman turned around, noting that the twins were both peeking out from the back entrance and that Junior had frozen in place, his hand just an inch from the handle. He turned, and Roman gave the bartender a cold look. “You knew about this?” he asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

“Hey, well uh, knowledge is a pretty tricky thing, ya know?”

Roman gave him a look and shook his head in disgust. He then turned back around and started stalking towards Perry. The Faunus backed up till his back was pressed against the building, swallowing hard as Roman stopped in front of him, staring him dead in the eyes.

“Perry, _what the fucking Hells!?_ ” Roman shouted.

Perry’s dog ears splayed flat across his head, and he winced. “Torchwick, look I can explain-”

“Like Dust you can! Why didn’t you mentioned this before!?”

Pushing past Perry Neo stormed over to Roman, her face set and determined. Once she was only an inch from Roman’s face, she began signing, her hands moving so fast it was almost impossible for him to keep up. “ _Oh, I don’t know, when exactly have we had the time to talk about_ anything!?" she demanded. “ _‘Cause you know, we’ve just been_ **_really_ ** _busy with stealing dust, committing acts of terrorism, saving your ass, dealing with Cinder - do I even_ **_need_ ** _to go on!?”_ She put an extra emphasis on ‘need’ as she gestured angrily at him, almost slapping him in the face as she grew more frantic and upset.

Normally Roman might have found her acting this angrily towards him intimidating, but seeing her mussed hair and swollen lips kept his own anger from receding. _Why_ he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like he was jealous or anything. Roman had been gay for as long as he could remember, and besides that Neo was like a little sister to him. The thought of having some kind of romantic relationship with her was laughable at best, shoot yourself in the head worthy at worst. But all of that aside she was  _his_ partner. What right did Perry have to her!?

She was about to sign more, but Perry put a hand on her shoulder, making her stop mid-gesture and turn to look at him. “Neo, it’s okay,” he said gently, smiling at her. “Let me talk to him.”

Neo looked unsure, but after a moment she nodded reluctantly. Perry placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then turned to look at Roman. “Look, Torch- _Roman,_ ”

Roman growled at the use of his first name, and Perry tensed for a split second, clearly worried he had made a fatal mistake. But when the loaded cane at Roman’s side didn’t immediately shoot a hole in his chest, he continued. “I know this sounds like complete and utter shit coming out of my mouth, but I love her.”

Roman snorted, and Perry held up a finger before he could say anything. “ _No_ , no, I really mean that. I've been in love with her since we were kids, when the only people we could turn to was each other. I finally got the courage to tell her during one of our heists about two months ago, and she agreed to give me a shot. Ever since then we've only grown closer,” he said fondly, and Neo grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. He smiled at her, then looked back at Roman. “I'm not just looking to fuck her.”

“Have you?” Roman asked bluntly, not missing a beat.

“Have I, what?” Perry asked, confusion written all over his face.

Roman seethed, pissed that Perry wasn’t catching his meaning. Taking a deep breath, he slowly bit out each word. “Have you, fucked. My. Partner?”

Perry turned an alarming shade of red, and he started sputtering. "I-I-I, that is t-to say, well, I m-mean-"

"Yes or no!?" Roman demanded.

“ _No!_ ” Perry shouted. They all cringed collectively as the word echoed in the otherwise empty ally. "No,” Perry said, quieter. “Not yet anyway.” He froze, grabbing both of his dog ears and pulling on them tightly. “Ooooh, _wow_ , that, that was **_so_** the wrong thing to say. God’s help me...”

Neo’s face turned a bright shade of pink, adding to the strange mix of colors her outfit, hair, and eyes created. She pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaled sharply, then exhaled slowly from her mouth. She turned to look at Roman and began signing again, slowly at first, then faster and faster as she kept going. “ _Roman, I get you’re…_ **_protective_** ,” she began, “ _But I’m eighteen. If you can let me come with you on a dust heist than I can try to have a relationship. Even a sexual one!_ ”

Roman stared at her for a long time, and everyone held their breath as the criminal chewed his bottom lip, thinking. Finally, he sighed, reaching a hand out to ruffle Neo’s hair fondly. “Since when did you grow up?” he asked her. Neo batted his hands away, giggling silently. Roman chuckled, then turned and glared at Perry one last time. “Break her heart, _and I'll break_ you."

Perry nodded, swallowing audibly. “U-Understood,” he said shakily.

Roman rolled his eyes and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a wad of lien. He shoved it into the Faunus’ hands. “Put on a disguise and take her out for a nice dinner,” he ordered. “Now come on Junior,” he said, grabbing the startled man’s arm and dragging him back into the club.

“ _I need to get drunk._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Was it good? Or did it suck like I think it does? Comment to let me know, and please, PLEASE hit that Kudos button.
> 
> Read ya later!!!


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